As of April 15, 2024, Finland will halt operations at its maritime border crossing points with Russia, as announced by the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation. Pleasure boats will no longer be able to pass through the Saimaa Canal via Nuijamaa, and the Haapasaari and Santio maritime border crossing points will be shut down indefinitely.
This decision comes after Finland prolonged the closure of its land border with Russia, delaying the opening of border crossings scheduled for April 15. The government of Finland made this choice following a recommendation from the Ministry of the Interior.
In late November 2023, Finland closed all nine checkpoint stations on the border with Russia due to a surge in migrant arrivals. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland reported that since early November, more than 500 asylum seekers from countries like Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Somalia have reached the Russian border. Russian border guards allowed them to pass without proper documentation, leading Finland to view this as a potential migration crisis orchestrated by Russian authorities.
Following his election, Finland’s new President Alexander Stubb declared that the country would not engage in efforts to improve relations with Russia until the conflict in Ukraine is resolved.
An investigation by The Insider uncovered that the influx of refugees from Arab nations traveling through Russia to Finland is overseen by FSB officers with a history of similar actions on the borders of Poland and Belarus.
Source: theins.ru